Narrator Homer Todiwala's voice is filled with weary, biting humor that captures the timing and tone of Raina's audiobook. In India, students look for any edge to perform well on national exams—top scores can lead to fame and a comfortable life. Rahul rises from poverty to coach students, eventually just taking the exams in place of the student to guarantee success. This scheme is profitable until Rahul does a little too well, earning the top score for Rudi, a privileged dullard. They maintain the fraud through a mutual arrangement until kidnapping and blackmail spoil the secret. Raina describes a world of rigid social systems in which only the most advantaged keep winning. Todiwala's performance successfully maintains the difficult balance of dry humor, occasional violence, and heart. S.P.C. © AudioFile 2022, Portland, Maine
How to Kidnap the Rich: A Novel
Narrated by Homer Todiwala
Rahul RainaUnabridged — 9 hours, 55 minutes
How to Kidnap the Rich: A Novel
Narrated by Homer Todiwala
Rahul RainaUnabridged — 9 hours, 55 minutes
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Overview
“A raucous novel, narrated in deadpan voice-over by Ramesh, a self-described `lower lower middle class' 24-year-old scammer. . . . His perspective is a delight. . . . a tartly entertaining novel, a potential summer blockbuster.” -New York Times Book Review
A fresh look at modern-day India hailed as ""a monstrously funny and unpredictable wild ride"" by Kevin Kwan, New York Times bestselling author of the Crazy Rich Asians trilogy
The first kidnapping wasn't my fault. The others-those were definitely me.
Brilliant yet poor, Ramesh Kumar grew up working at his father's tea stall in the Old City of Delhi. Now, he makes a lucrative living taking tests for the sons of India's elite-a situation that becomes complicated when one of his clients, the sweet but hapless eighteen-year-old Rudi Saxena, places first in the All Indias, the national university entrance exams, thanks to him.
Ramesh sees an opportunity-perhaps even an obligation-to cash in on Rudi's newfound celebrity, not knowing that Rudi's role on a game show will lead to unexpected love, followed by wild trouble when both young men are kidnapped.
But Ramesh outwits the criminals who've abducted them, turning the tables and becoming a kidnapper himself. As he leads Rudi through a maze of crimes both large and small, their dizzying journey reveals an India in all its complexity, beauty, and squalor, moving from the bottom rungs to the circles inhabited by the ultra-rich and everywhere in between.
A caper, social satire, and love story rolled into one, How to Kidnap the Rich is a wild ride told by a mesmerizing new talent with an electric voice.
Editorial Reviews
04/05/2021
Irony and satire collide in Raina’s sparkling debut about a crooked college consultant and his inadvertent role in the making of a celebrity. Ramesh Kumar grows up in poverty and is forced to work in his abusive father’s tea stall in Delhi, until he meets a nun who helps him get an education. By the age of 24, he’s become a self-described “charming, witty, urbane man-about-town,” and a successful con artist. He tutors elite high school students, scams their parents for extra cash to cover “expenses,” and takes their college entrance exams in their place. After Ramesh achieves the top score in the country for sweet but dim Rudi Saxena, Rudi receives nationwide TV coverage and Ramesh becomes his manager. The two consume a great deal of drugs and alcohol as Rudi basks in the spotlight. Then, during Rudi’s appearance on a game show, Ramesh and Rudi are kidnapped from the set. They escape, and the experience gives Ramesh the idea for his biggest hustle yet, with Rudi as an accomplice. Raina ably shows both the seedy and privileged parts of Indian society through Ramesh’s biting wit (“My hate could have made India the world’s leader in renewable energy,” he reflects on his time in the tea stall). Readers will enjoy the ride. (June)
Rahul Raina’s debut could easily be called How to Kidnap the Reader, because he entraps you from the first page, and skillfully maintains his hold on you with a story that is equal parts hypnotizing, harrowing, and hilarious in the way it lays bare the costs that many have to pay in order to succeed. From the privileged to the impoverished, Raina renders his world’s nuances, complexities, and evident truths with surgical precision and so much damn heart.
Rahul Raina’s voice crackles with wit and the affecting exuberance of youth. His ripping good story grabs you on page one and doesn’t let go, taking you on a monstrously funny and unpredictable wild ride through a thousand different Delhis at top speed. How To Kidnap the Rich roars with brilliance, freshness and so much heart.”
Fans of My Sister the Serial Killer, Parasite and Crazy Rich Asians will be enthralled by this riotous tale from the very first line. . . . A hugely entertaining and unique debut that satirically dissects India’s inequalities.
"Unlike his enterprising protagonist, Rahul Raina takes no prisoners. He skewers modern India in a voice that's truly fresh and laugh-out-loud funny. A bold, lively, and scathing satire that refuses to flinch."
"An unflinching look at modern India."
Part crime novel, part satire on modern India and told with authenticity, razor-sharp wit and a biting turn of phrase, Rahul Raina's How to Kidnap the Rich is a book I've been waiting a long time for. I can't remember the last time I read such an assured debut. Raina writes like he's been doing this all his life. Ladies and gentlemen, it's time to welcome a new star to the world of international crime fiction.
White Tiger meets Caddyshack the movie in Raina’s lively novel, brimming with rat-a-tat-tat wit, breezy prose and a keen observation of colorism, casteism and social inequity. Unputdownable!
"Brutally funny and fast-paced, this debut from Rahul Raina proves he is a star in the making."
06/01/2022
This debut novel follows a twisty caper plot while also offering a work of strong satire. There is so much style and foreshadowing in the opening minute of the audiobook that listeners will immediately know if this is the book for them. Together narrator Homer Todiwala and author Raina create an experience of India that amuses while the narrative deftly offers social commentary about classism, sexism, poverty, and morality. Ramesh leads the story and is both a kidnapper and kidnap victim (though not the rich) . He is understandably unpleasant as the book begins, but skillful character development will have listeners rooting for him to have love, wealth, and respect by the end. Wondering whether this is at all possible—or right—will keep listeners hooked until the end. VERDICT It takes talent to narrate both satire and slapstick convincingly, while ensuring each element remains both separate and believable. Todiwala is absolutely perfect; no matter what turns Raina's story takes, he sells it, using a great variety of voices and emotion.—Matthew Galloway
Narrator Homer Todiwala's voice is filled with weary, biting humor that captures the timing and tone of Raina's audiobook. In India, students look for any edge to perform well on national exams—top scores can lead to fame and a comfortable life. Rahul rises from poverty to coach students, eventually just taking the exams in place of the student to guarantee success. This scheme is profitable until Rahul does a little too well, earning the top score for Rudi, a privileged dullard. They maintain the fraud through a mutual arrangement until kidnapping and blackmail spoil the secret. Raina describes a world of rigid social systems in which only the most advantaged keep winning. Todiwala's performance successfully maintains the difficult balance of dry humor, occasional violence, and heart. S.P.C. © AudioFile 2022, Portland, Maine
Product Details
| BN ID: | 2940173346865 |
|---|---|
| Publisher: | HarperCollins |
| Publication date: | 02/01/2022 |
| Edition description: | Unabridged |
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